ScreenHits TV allows consumers, who have been longing for an aggregator to organise all their streaming services in one app, get full use of their streaming apps by having a quick glimpse at what is recommended and what is trending across all their streaming platforms, says Rose Adkins Hulse, Founder and CEO Of ScreenHits TV, in a chat with Pickle

Tell us about ScreenHits TV

ScreenHits TV provides a unique platform for consumers to organise and get the most out of their streaming subscriptions in one place. It provides a unique interface to discover content across all the leading premium streamers, without having to switch between apps to do so.

How important is TV in a streaming world?

TV has many definitions. Consuming content exclusively via satellite providers is no longer necessary. The consumer does not have to acquire expensive hardware or have a satellite dish on their roof to enjoy high quality content. The studios are dictating the method of delivery in this new digital age and the consumers are adapting quite well to it. I do believe there will always be a need for a TV screen to watch TV, but the means in how the content gets on the TV is in the process of transition and TV as we know it will be redefined in this new direct to consumer, digital world.

Who are the major streamers using ScreenHits TV services?

Services vary from region to region, but in the territories we are launched in, consumers are able to integrate the leading premium streamers such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Starz, Lionsgate, BBC iPlayer, Peacock, HBO Max, and Paramount +, to name a few.

Which devices does ScreenHits TV work with?

ScreenHits iOS tablet app and soon to be mobile app has compatibility with Android TVs with Chromecast and Fire TV. Shortly we will be launching a native app on Vizio, LG, and Metz.

How does ScreenHits TV benefit the consumer and help stream content in one place?

The most frustrating thing for the customer when trying to find something to watch is to have to switch in between streaming apps to do a search and discovery. This inhibits consumers from wanting to have multiple apps and removing apps that they feel are not used often, increasing unnecessary churn for streaming services. ScreenHits TV ensures that consumers get full use of their streaming apps, allowing them to have a quick glimpse at what is recommended and what is trending across all their streaming platforms.

What does research say?

Our research, along with research from other leading data companies such as SmithGeiger Group and Nielsen shows that consumers want an aggregator that helps to organise all their streaming services in one and doesn’t require hardware. Consumers are also looking for bundles, so they can easily transition from their Pay TV subscription to app TV. It is important for consumers to understand the true value in switching to app TV and their cost savings.

What is important for a consumer—content or platform?

Content is always important and will remain so. The issue is that with so much fragmentation and rights returning to the studios for their direct to consumer streaming platforms, it can become quite a challenge to keep track of where everything is, so an aggregator that places the consumer first and lets them quickly find their favourite shows or discover the next big show to watch, will become extremely important.

Streaming market is on the rise globally. It is amazing that the US alone has over 300 streaming platforms.It is also considered a $100 billion market with one billion subscribers. Where do we go from here now?

Streaming market is expected to grow even bigger. As the industry starts to consolidate and the winning streaming services solidify their positioning and content roadmap, consumers will start to transition. There are still a large number of consumers that rely on Pay TV for accessing their media. However, streamers are the future and over the next 3-5 years, we will see a massive migration from Pay TV to app TV. These are exciting times.

How important is curation of content?

There are many views on this. Some people want to have a universal search and access to every single piece of content that is available in the world. I personally do not believe in this.

We must learn from the successes and failures of the past and one valuable lesson that we should not forget is that consumers need curation. As consumers have less time at their disposal, ScreenHits TV strives to make their life easier by curating the best of the best.

So, when it comes to our users discovering content they are only searching from the best content in the market. There are other services,too, but they do not curate or limit the number of streamers they have on their platform. However, if we were to do this, it would be a direct contradiction to our name.

How did the pandemic impact growth of aggregators like ScreenHits?

During the pandemic more and more streaming services were launched, and the frustrations of having multiple apps on different devices with multiple interfaces proved to be very frustrating to the consumer. Addition of these new services accelerated our growth in the market exponentially. We were developing ScreenHits TV prior to the pandemic, but we have had to speed up our initiatives to ensure that we were growing with the industry and providing an immediate solution to cord-cutters.

ScreenHits has appointed Moviegoers Entertainment to oversee Indian content?

Yes, this has been a wonderful decision. They have solidified our Indian growth plans and have secured premium Indian content partners for ScreenHits TV globally. They will continue to oversee the rollout of ScreenHits TV India and manage our partnerships with our key Indian players.

When is the India launch expected?

We will be announcing this exciting news in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

What are the challenges you foresee in the times to come?

Our biggest challenge is to keep up with the opportunities and manage our growth. There are a number of wonderful opportunities right now and we have to focus on our territory rollouts, new product features and always creating the best product for our streaming partners to ensure their content always remains top of mind with consumers at the point of discovery.

Tell us about your competition like Struum.

Struum is not a competitor of ours. They are not aggregating streaming services. They host content on their platform, similar to platforms like IndieFlix, Mubi, Curiosity Stream, History Hits and act more like a TVOD platform like Rakuten and Chili. Their business model is also very different from ours. They offer credits (like a discounted TVOD model) for their users to rent library content from the Indie streamers. They also own the customer relationship and for some platforms that may not be an issue, but as we work with the leading streamers in the world, that does not benefit them and never will. ScreenHits TV does not want to own the customer like Struum does. The customer will always belong to our streaming partners and our goal is to always drive traffic back to our partners’ site while creating a seamless UX for our customers to discover content across all their subscribed platforms.